The popularity of both shows dented the appeal of TV1’s Highway Cops and Piha Rescue, which finished third for the hour.

The intensity of the tug of war was reflected in TV3’s unusually high channel shares for the night, although TV2 still won in three of the core demos:

On Monday, The Block NZ again was tops in three of the demos and only just pipped in the fourth while at 8.30 an improving Heroes Reborn averaged 3.9% – 5.3% to challenge TV1’s Criminal Minds(3.9% – 6.6%) and TV2’s Wentworth (5.8% – 7.7%) in crucial demos.

TV3 had a powerhouse Sunday, winning in the 18-39, 18-49 and 25-54 demos, with The Block NZ and Grand Designs carrying the night, while TV1’s highly acclaimed The C-Wordflopped (1.8% – 3.4%).